Convertible furnitures



May 21, 1957 P. F. w. (JC'JRGENSEN EI'AL CONVERTIBLE FURNITURES Filed Oct. 16, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 21, 1957 Filed 001;. 16, 1952 P. F. w. JbReENsN Emu.

CONVERTIBLE FURNITURES s Shets-Sbeet 2 May 21, 1957 P. F. w. JORGENsN EI'AL 2,792,575

CONVERTIBLE FURNITURES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 16, 1952 convertible furniture having a base frame;

CONVERTIBLE FURYITURES Poul Frederik Wiberg Jiirgensen, Esbjerg, and Knud Ejler Aas, Lyngby, near CnpenhagemDenrnarlr; said Aas as- Signor to said Jtirgensen Application October 16, 1952, Serial No. 315,062 15 Claims. (Cl. -43) atent A problem in connection with convertible articles of furniture is where to place the bed-clothes when the furniture is used as a sitting furniture. Often the bedclothes are deposited in a box displaceably placed under the furniture. Such a box is visible, however, and tells even by day that the article of furniture is usable as bed. In other cases the bed-clothes are deposited in a box or receptacle built in the article of furniture itself under the seat. Even in such cases it is obvious that the furniture is usable as bed since the said box or receptacle requires a comparatively great height of the front piece of the furniture frame. Further, in these cases it is necessary that the seat is pivotably connected to the said frame only with the purpose to give ad mittance to said box or receptacle. the construction of the furniture.

An object of the present invention is to provide a convertible furniture within which it is possible to conceal effectively the bed-clothes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a convertible furniture in the back of which the bed-clothes may be deposited.

A further object of the invention is to provide a convertible furniture in which the bed-clothes maybe so deposited in the back of the furniture that the bed-clothes serve as upholstery in said back.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a a seat on said base frame; a supporting frame; means for pivotably connecting said supporting the rear side of said seat in such a manner that said supporting frame is pivotable between an upright position and a forwardly extending position, said supporting frame being intended for carrying the bed clothes when the furniture is used as sitting-furniture; and a protecting cover fastened along its rear edge near the rear end of said seat and intended to be laid over the seat under the bed-clothes when the furniture is used as bed, and, when the furniture is used as sitting-furniture and the bed- This may complicate frame and said base frame near clothes are laid over the said supporting frame, to cover 5 the bed-clothes, whereby the part of the bed-clothes disposed on the front side of said supporting frame and covered by said protecting cover serves as upholstered back of the furniture.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be evident fromthe description whichfollows and from the accompanying drawing, in which 1 '2 Fig. l is a transverse vertical sectional view illus- -trating in solid lines one form of an ottoman in sitting or day position, the view also showing, in dotted lines, an intermediate position of shift from normal position towards bed position,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 1 but showing in solid lines the ottoman in bed position, the view also showing, in dotted lines, a further intermediate position of shift from normal position to bed position or vice versa,

Fig. 3 is a front eievation of the ottoman in sitting position, partly in section,

' 'Fig. 4 is an enlarged end elevation of connection means between an end member of the back and the ottoman frame,

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of means, shown in Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional View of an end member on line 6-6 in Figi,

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 77 in Fig; 6,

Fig. 8 is a-sectional view similar to Fig. 1 through a modified construction of an ottoman.

While we have shown only three preferred forms of our invention, we wish to have it understood that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims hereto attached, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the ottoman shown in Fig. 1-7 has four legs 11 mutually connected by a base frame comprising two vertical side members 12 and two vertical end members 14 and 16, one in the rear of the frame and the other in the front thereof.

A seat 18, the construction of which does not constitute any part of the invention and therefore is not shown in detail has a bottom frame comprising two side members 20 and two end members 22 and a cover 24, and is placed upon the ottoman frame between the side members 12 with the bottom frame resting on and secured to the end members 14 and 16.

The side members 12 have a such height that their upper edge surfaces are level with the upper surface of seat 18. V

In the inner surface of each side member 12 at the rear end thereof there is formed a recess 25 for a housing'26, see Figs. 1, 4 and 5. This housing 26 comprises two side plates 28 relatively spaced by means of cylindrical'spacers 3%, see Fig. 4, and connected mutually and to the side member 12 by means of screws 32 which from the exterior of the outer side plate 28 pass through the spacers 30 and are screwed into the side member 12 in the housing 26 there is secured a pin 34 on which a supporting arm 36 is pivotably arranged. Said arm 36 is provided with a toothed segment 38 meshing with a gear wheel 40 that is fixed upon shaft 42 rotatably journalled in the housing 26 of each member 12. Said shaft 42 extends between the two side members 12 and is common for the two gear wheels 49. Thus a swinging motion of the one supporting arm 36 at the one side of the furniture forcibly involves a corresponding swinging motion of the supporting arm 36 at the other side of the furniture.

As appears from Figs. 1 and 2, shaft 42 is placed very near the rear end of the base frame outside the seat 18.

- The upper end of each of the two supporting arms-36 is bent'to form a forwardly extending projection 44,t o which there is pivotably connected a front-end member 46 of the ottoman back; This member 46 is composed of two parts 48 and 50, see Fig. 4, united to a single the connection member. At the lower end of the said part 48 a recess 51 is formed in such a manner that it is open at the rear side of the part 48. The projection 44 of the supporting arm 36 extends into said recess and has a hole 52 for a pivot pin 54 secured between the two parts 48 and 50. Inthis manner there is obtained a sturdy pivot connection between the front member 46 and the supporting arm 36, which connection is invisible from the outer side of the member 46.

At their lower ends the two front members 46 are interconnected by means of a connecting bar 56 to constitute a unit 47.

A rear member 60 of the back of the ottoman is pivotably mounted to the upper end of each front member 46 by means of a hinge 58. The edge surfaces facing each other of the two interconnected members 46 and 60 are formed as planes intersecting the pivot axis of hinge 58. Thus the two members 46 and 60 may bear against each other to form a complete back unit as is evident from Fig. 1.

The members 46 and 60 are rounded at their upper ends in such a manner that the unit has a rounded upper end without bends or otfsettings.

The two rear members 60 are also interconnected by means of a connecting bar 62 to constitute a unit 61.

A protecting cover 64, preferably a fabric corresponding to the cover 24, is with its rear edge, fixed to the under side of the connecting bar 56, carried over the members 46 and 6t} and with its front edge, is fixed to the under side of the connecting bar 62. At each side the protecting cover 64 is fixed to the gable members 46 and 60 along the distance from the lower end of said members and to the level of which the rounded edge portions at the'upper ends of the members begins. At the rounded edge portions the protecting cover lies loosely over the upwardly turned ends of the members 46 and 60.

To hold the protecting cover 64 in its right position over the rounded edge portions as appears from Figs. 6 and 7 a slot or groove 66 is formed in the edge surfaces thereof. Further an elastic means, spring 68, is fastened to the side edge of the protecting cover at the part thereof intended to lie against the rounded edge portions of the members. As appears from Fig. 6 and 7 this elastic means 68 is preferably placed within a channel or recess 69 formed along the side edge of the protecting cover and is fastened to said cover only at its ends. The elastic means 68 draws the side edge of the protecting cover into the slot or groove 66 and ensures thereby a secure hold of the protecting cover to the upper part of the members 46 and 60. Simultaneously the. protecting cover is also held rightly expanded between the'two member units 47 and 61.

A supporting frame 70 is by means of hinges 72 pivotand at their lower ends by means of a connecting bar 78 Further, the frame Fig. 1 shows in dotted lines how the bed-clothes 87, such as eiderdown, blanket or quilt, pillow and sheets,

tween the front side of the supporting frame 70 and the protecting cover 64, see also Fig. 3.. Thus, the bedclothes support the protecting cover stretchedbetween in such a manner that they lie more or less fiat.

The openings in the front members 46, and they serve as upholstery for this part of the protecting cover which thereby constitutes an upholstered back for the furniture.

As shown in Figs. 1-3 the upper part of the connecting bar 76 of the supporting frame 70 may have a covering 88 of a soft flexible material such as latex foam, which partly protects the bed-clothes, and partly prevents the bed-clothes from sliding on the supporting frame, and thus holds the bed-clothes in position.

When the ottoman has to be converted into a bed, the members 46 and 60 and. the parts. directly connected thereto, including the entire back-unit of the ottoman, is first swung forwardly about the axis of the pins 54 into the position shown with dotted lines in Fig. 1. Then, the back-unit is displaced rearwards about theaxis of the pins 34, with the units 47 and 61 adjacent each other, whereby the supporting arms 36 are pivoted on their pins 34, until the front members 46 take up the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 2. In this position the connecting bar 56 is positioned along the rear edge of the ottoman.

Owing to the fact that the two supporting arms 36 are forcibly interconnected as previously described the displacement of the said back-unit takes place without difficulty, even if only the one side of the back-unit is moved by the operator.

After the said back-unit has been displaced rearwardly as described, the rear members 60 are swung forward into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2. The protecting cover 64 with the wrong side turned upwards will now lie fiat upon the upper side of the seat 18. Thus the protecting cover protects the cover 24 of seat 18.

The bed-clothes 87 are thereuponvlaid over the scat preferably with a sheet on the protecting cover, and the supporting frame 70 is swung upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2. The ottoman now is converted into a bed.

When subsequently the ottoman has to be converted into a sitting furniture, the bed-clothes are first arranged Then the supporting frame 70 is swung forward and downward on to the bed-clothes, whereupon the parts of the bed-clothes lying in front of the supporting frame are laid over said frame. The rear members 60 are now swung to the position shown .with dotted lines in Fig.2. Thereupon the assembled back-unit is displaced forwardly to the position shown with dotted lines in Fig. 1, and finally it is swung upwardly back to its initial position as shown with full lines in Fig. 1.

During the swinging of the rear members 60 from the position shown with full lines to the. position shown with dotted lines in Fig. 2, i. e. against the front members 46, the side edges of the protecting cover at the rounded edges of the gable-units are forced into the slots or grooves 66.

For esthetic reasons these grooves may extend along the entire length of the members 46 and 60 as shown, and in this case the fixed parts of the side edges of the protecting cover 64 should extend into the said grooves and be fixed therein to the members 46 and 60. a

To position the members 46 and 60 in the position in which they engage each other as shown in Fig. 1, having their exterior side surfaces exactly in the same plane at each side of the furniture, a projection 90 is attached to one member 46 or 60 and engages a guide on the other member, e. g. a slot.

At the upper end of .the rear edge. surface of each side member 12 is attached a preferably resilient stop mem- 61 is situated while it swings into the position shown with full lines in Fig. 1. Thus an undesired swinging away from the normal position is prevented,

v The ottoman accor g to Fig- .8 differs from the. ottoman according to Figs. l-7, only therein that the support- 1, in which each of including an arm for each ing arms 36 are attached to a common shaft 94 extending between the two side members12 and rotatably journalled in these two side members. Thus, in this manner of construction the toothed segment 38 and the gear wheel 40 are deleted. The positive connection between the two supporting arms 36 according to this construction is maintained. 7

In this modification the ottoman frame has furthermore a vertical end member 96 connecting the side members 12 at their upper parts. To end member $6 the stop members 92 are attached, and consequently these stop members abut the connecting bar 62 or rather the part of the protecting cover 64 attached to said bar.

We claim:

1. In a convertible article of furniture usable both as a bed and as a sitting furniture; a base frame; a seat on said frame; a supporting arm at each side of said seat; a member at each side of the said seat pivotably mounted on a supporting arm, each arm being pivotably connected to said frame in such a manner that the pivot axis between each said member and each said supporting arm may be moved between a forward position some distance from the rear end of said seat and a position close to said rear end; means connecting said arms to move in unison; a supporting frame; means for pivotably connecting the lower part of said supporting frame and said two members, said supporting frame being intended for supporting bed-clothes when the article of furniture is used as a sitting article of furniture, and a protecting cover fastened by its rear edge to the lower rear edges of said members near the rear end of said seat and by the rear parts of its side edges to the said members, said protecting cover being intended to lie over the seat and under the bed-clothes when the article of furniture is used as a bed and the said members are in their forwardly extending position, and, when the article of furniture is used as a sitting furniture and the bedclothes are laid over the said supporting frame and the said members are in their upright position, to be laid over the bed-clothes, whereby the part of the bed-clothes situated on the front side of said supporting frame and covered by said protecting cover, serves as an upholstered furniture back.

2. A convertible article of furniture as stated in claim .1, a shaft rotatably connected to said frame, said two supporting arms being secured to said shaft.

3. A convertible article of furniture as stated in claim said two supporting arms has a toothed segment each meshing a gear wheel, said two gear wheels being fixed to a common shaft rotatably connected to said frame.

4. In a convertible article of furniture usable both as a bed and as a sitting furniture; a frame; a seat on said frame; a front member at each side of said seat; means front member pivoted to said frame and to a front member for pivotably connecting said members and. said frame near the rear end of said seat in such a manner that said members are movable between a substantially upright position near the rear of said seat and a forwardly extending position frontwardly vspaced from, and at an angle to said upright position; a

connecting bar connecting and fixed to the lower ends of said two members; a supporting frame; means for pivotably connecting the lower part of said supporting frame to said two front members, said supporting frame being intended to support bed-clothes when the article of furniture is used as a sitting article of furniture; and a protecting cover fastened by its rear edge to said connecting bar and by the rear parts of its edges to said front members, said protecting cover being intended to lie over the seat and under the bed-clothes when the article of furniture is used as a bed and the said members are in their forwardly extending position, and when the article of furniture is used as a sitting furniture and the bed-clothes are laid over the said supporting frame and the members are in their upright position, to be laid over the bed-clothes,

whereby the part of the bed-clothes disposed on the front side of the said supporting frame and covered by said protecting cover, serves as an upholstered furniture back.

5. In a convertible article of furniture usable both as a bed and as a sitting furniture; a base frame; a seat on said frame; a supporting member at each side of said seat; a member at each side of said seat pivotably connected to said supporting member; said suporting member being pivoted to said frame in such a manner that the pivot axis between said member and said supporting member may be moved between a forward position at some distance from the rear end of the said seat and a rear position close to said rear end of the said seat; a supporting frame, means for pivotably connecting the lower parts of said supporting frame and said two members, said supporting frame being intended to support bed-clothes when the article of furniture is used as a sitting article of furniture; and a protecting cover fastened by the rear parts of its side edges to the said members, said protecting cover being intended to lie over the seat and under the bedclothes when the article of furniture is used as a bed and the said members are in their forwardly position, and, when the article of furniture is used as a sitting furniture and the bed-clothes are laid over the said supporting frame and the said members are in their upward position, to be laid over the bed-clothes, whereby clothes disposed on the front side of said supporting frame and covered by said protecting cover serves as an upholstered furniture back. I

6. In a convertible article of furniture usable both as a bed and as a sitting furniture; a base frame; a seat on said frame; a member at each side of the said seat; means including an arm for each member pivoted to said frame and to a member for pivotably connecting said members and said frame near the rear end of the seat in such a manner that said members are movable between a substantially upright position near the rear of said seat and a forwardly extending position frontwardly spaced from and disposed at an angle to said upright position; said means being movable in direction to and from the rear end of the said seat between a forward position at some distance from the said rear end and a rear position close to said rear end; a supporting frame; means for pivotably connecting said supporting frame and said two members, said supporting frame being intended for supporting bedclothes when the article of furniture is used as a sitting furniture; and a protecting cover fastened to the said members, said protecting cover being intended to lie over the seat and under the bed-clothes, when the article of furniture is used as a bed and the said members are in their forwardly extending position, and, when the article of furniture is used as a sitting article of furniture and the bed-clothes are laid over the said supporting frame and the said members are in their upright position, to be laid over the bed-clothes, whereby the part of the bedclothes disposed on the front side of said supporting frame and covered by said protecting cover serves as an upholstered furniture back.

7. In a convertible article of furniture usable both as a bed and as a sitting furniture; a base frame; a seat on said frame; a member at each side of said seat; means including an arm for each member pivoted to said frame and to a member for pivotably each connecting said member and said base frame near the rear end of said seat in such a manner that each said member is movable respectively between a substantially upright position and a forwardly extending position in which the foremost edge of each said member approximately is flush with the upper surface of the said seat; a supporting frame connected to said base and being pivotable between an upward position and a forwardly extending position, smd supporting frame being intended to support bed-clothes when the article of furniture is used as a sitting article of furniture; and a protecting cover fastened by the rear parts of its side edges to the said members, said protecting the part of the bedcover being intended to lie over the seat and under the bed-clothes when the article of furniture is used as a bed and the said members are in their forwardly extending position, and when the article of furniture is used as a sitting article of furniture and the bed-clothes are laid over the said supporting frame and the members are in their upright position, to be laid over the bed-clothes, whereby the part of the bed-clothes disposed on the front side of the said supporting frame and covered by said protecting cover serves as an upholstered furniture back. 8. A convertible article of furniture as stated in claim 7, in which a second member is pivotably connected to each of the first said members at the upper end thereof; and the front parts of the side edges of the said protecting cover are fastened to said second members.

9. In a convertible article of furniture usable both as a bed and as a sitting furniture; a base frame; a seat on said frame; a front member at each side of said seat; means including an arm for each front member pivoted to said frame and to a front member for pivotably connecting said front members and said frame in such a manner that said front members are movable respectively between a substantially upright position and a forwardly extending position frontwardly spaced from and disposed at an angle to said upright position; a rear member at each side of said seat, each rear member being pivotably connected to a front member at the upper end thereof; a connecting bar interconnecting the lower ends of said two rear members; a supporting frame pivotally connected to said base frame andthereby being pivotable between an upward position and a forward projecting position, said supporting frame being intended to support bed-clothes when the article of furniture is used as a sitting article of furniture; and a protecting cover fastened at the rear part ,of its side edges to the said front members and at the forward part of its side edges to the said rear members, each of said side edges of said protecting cover further having an unfastened portion at the upper edge of the said two interconnected front and rear members; said protecting cover being intended to lie over the seat and under the bed-clothes when the article of furniture is used as a bed and each of the said front members is in its forwardly extending position and each of said rear members is swung inrelation to said front member into a position in elongation of the said front member, and, when the article of furniture is used as a sitting furniture and the bed-clothes are laid over the said supporting frame and all said front and rear members are in their upward position, to lie over the bed-clothes, posed on the front side of said supporting frame and covered by said protecting cover serves as an upholstered furniture back.

10. A convertible article of furniture as stated in claim 9, in which at least one stop member is attached to said base frame at the rear end being intended to hold the said two rear members in their proper position when the article of furniture is used as a sitting furniture.

11. In an article of furniture, convertible between a sitting furniture and a bed, in combination, a base frame, a seat structure supported by said frame, a backstructure comprising a supporting frame disposed above said seat and being designed to support bed-clothes when the article of furniture is used as a sitting furniture, said back structure further comprising a protecting cover designed, when said bed-clothes are placed upon the supporting frame to be laid over said bed-clothes on both sides of said supporting frame, whereby said back structure constitutes an upholstered furniture back in which the parts of the bed-clothes disposed on the front side of said supporting frame serves as upholstery, said supporting frame being tiltable between an upright station and a station at an angle thereto and being displaceable substantially horizontally between a rear position adjacent the rear edge of said seat and, respectively, a second position of said seat, said stop member a bed.

whereby the part of the bed-clothes dis- 12. In a convertible article of furniture usable both as a bed and as a sitting furniture, a base frame, a seat structure supported by said frame, two supporting arms, a back structure disposed above the rear end of said seat and comprising a member at each side of said seat pivotably mounted on a supporting arm, each supporting arm being pivotably connected to said frame in such a manner that the pivot axis between each member and each supporting arm is movable between a forward position some distance from the rear end of said seat structure and a position close to said rear end, said back structure comprising a supporting frame and means for pivotably connecting the lower part of said supporting frame and said two members, said supporting frame supporting bedclothes disposed on both sides thereof when the article of furniture is used as a sitting article of furniture, said back structure comprising a protective cover fastened by its rear edge near the rear edge of said seat and by the rear parts of its side edges to said two members, said protective cover being designed when said bed-clothes are placed on said supporting frame to be laid over said bedclothes on both sides of said supporting frame, whereby said back structure constitutes an upholstered furniture back in which the parts of the bed-clothes disposed on the front side of said supporting frame serves as upholstery, said protective cover further being intended to lie over the said seat and under the bed-clothes when the article of furniture is used as a bed and the said members are in their forwardly extending positions.

13. Ina folding bed, a frame, a seat supported on said frame, a back rest member including two interconnected front and rear sections, each section having a base portion and a side portion, said sections being foldable between a closed position where the base portions form a continuous base and, respectively, an open position Where major parts of the side portions are substantially in alignment and the base portions parallel and spaced apart for a maximum distance, said back rest member in the folded position being tiltable between an uprightstation wherein the base rests on said seat and has one edge adjacent a border of the seat and the opposite edge spaced therefrom and the side surface of the front section forms a back rest and, respectively, a forward tilted station wherein said side surface abuts against the top of the seat, a shaft journalled in said frame, two arms geared to said shaft for simultaneous rotation about an axis, each arm being pivoted to said front section near said opposite edge of said base restraining rearward tilting of said back rest member in the upright station, said back rest member being tiltable about said pivots between said'stations and in the forward tilted station being movably rearwardly .while the arms simultaneously rotate with the shaft,

whereby the back rest member will be guided parallel throughout its length during said rearward movement, said backrest member being operable subsequently to be unfolded placing the side surfacesof the two sections on 'said seat to form a bed-clothing support.

14; In a folding bed, as claimed in claim 13, together with, a structure connected tothe base portion of said front section and being disposed on the interior of said back rest member in the folded position thereof, and operable to support bed-clothing on the interior when said back rest member is in the upright station.

15. In a folding bed, as claimed in claim 1 4, said clothes supporting structure being movable with sald back rest member and being tiltable at an angle thereto when 1,578,439

said member is in the unfolded position. 1,625,437

References Cited in the file of this patent 2,613,369

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1,091,494 Fillmore et a1 Mar. 31, 1914 10 1 Hcdister et a1 Mar. 30, 1926 Velde Apr. 19, 1927 Lorenz et a1 Dec. 12, 1950 Lorenz et a1 Oct. 14, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Sweden May 20, 1911 Switzerland Mar. 16, 1938 

